Hampshire’s New Forest is one of the most dog-friendly corners of England, and that shows in the research — it’s by far the strongest part of this county for verified, detailed dog policies. Away from the Forest, coverage gets patchier fast, and several inland towns came back with nothing we could stand behind. We’ve been upfront about both.
Chain hotels
Premier Inn and Travelodge’s general UK policy is assistance dogs only, and we found no Hampshire branch publishing a written override, so we haven’t listed any. IHG’s own site confirms three Portsmouth branches (Holiday Inn Express Gunwharf Quays, Holiday Inn Pembroke Road, and Holiday Inn Express North) allow dogs in principle, though IHG states fees and restrictions “vary by property” without giving Portsmouth-specific numbers — so treat the fee as something to confirm at booking.
New Forest
- Balmer Lawn Hotel, Lyndhurst Road, Brockenhurst, SO42 7ZB — £30 per dog per night, with dogs restricted to specific named rooms; welcome in the lobby and grounds but not the pool or the Beresford Restaurant.
- New Forest Hotels group (Bartley Lodge, Beaulieu Inn, Burley Manor, Forest Lodge and others) — a published dog policy covering the whole group: pre-booking required, up to two dogs per room, £15/dog/night at most properties (Burley Manor is £30 for the first dog plus £15 for the second), welcome in reception, bar, lounge and garden but not the restaurant or leisure area.
- The Montagu Arms Hotel, Beaulieu, SO42 7ZL, and THE PIG (New Forest), Brockenhurst, SO42 7QL — both advertise dog-friendly breaks, but neither gives fee or restriction detail on the page we could reach, so call ahead for specifics.
New Forest campsites
- Shorefield Country Park and Lytton Lawn Touring Park, Milford-on-Sea — £9/night in self-catering accommodation, £3/night on touring and camping pitches, assistance dogs free, max 3 dogs per booking. Dogs allowed in the Pooch Corner bar but not the Beachcomber restaurant. One flag: Shorefield’s own site also lists Oakdene Forest Park and Forest Edge Holiday Park under “Hampshire,” but its own booking tool locates both in St Leonards, Dorset — we’ve excluded those two rather than repeat the site’s own inconsistency.
- Sandy Balls Holiday Village, Fordingbridge, SP6 2JZ — accepts dogs (max 2 per booking confirmed via the booking widget), though specific fees weren’t available on the page we reached.
Southampton, Winchester and Portsmouth
- room2 Southampton, 1-8 Queens Terrace, SO14 3BP — a genuinely dog-focused boutique hotel: £25 one-off fee per stay (free for Hometel Club members), all breeds and sizes welcome with advance notice, dogs allowed on lead in Winnie’s café/bar.
- Winchester Wessex Hotel by Sunday, Paternoster Row, Winchester, SO23 9LQ — note this hotel is no longer branded Mercure despite older listings. Published dog policy: Classic and Superior rooms only, £20/night, max 2 dogs under 15kg per room, allowed in the bar but not the restaurant, must be on a lead, with a £150 fee for extra cleaning or damage.
- Portsmouth — Visit Portsmouth’s own tourism board names several dog-friendly properties (Becketts Southsea, Queens Hotel, Stattons Hotel, Langstone Quays Resort, the Solent Hotel & Spa among them), but most rest on that one source rather than each hotel’s own confirmed policy, so we’d treat this as a starting list to check directly rather than a fully verified set.
Alton and Petersfield
- The Swan Hotel, High Street, Alton, GU34 1AT — dogs welcome with pre-booking required, though the fee amount wasn’t stated on the page we reached.
- Langrish House, near Petersfield, GU32 1RN — pets welcome per the hotel’s own site, though fee and size restrictions weren’t confirmed on the page we could reach.
Honest gap: we found no verified dog-friendly accommodation at all in Basingstoke, Andover, Aldershot, Farnborough, Fareham, Gosport or Eastleigh. Any accommodation in these towns is very likely chain-only, and under the standard chain policy that typically means assistance dogs only — so treat that as the working assumption for these areas until a specific branch override turns up.
A new room, new smells and a long drive down can leave a dog a bit unsettled on the first night. We give Figo Calmdogs calming bites on travel days, alongside his usual bedtime routine, not instead of it. If your dog struggles badly with new places, that’s worth raising with your vet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the New Forest the most dog-friendly part of Hampshire for accommodation?
By a wide margin, yes. It’s the only area where we found detailed, published dog policies across multiple hotels and campsites rather than single, thinly-sourced leads.
Does Premier Inn allow dogs in Hampshire?
Not that we could confirm. Premier Inn’s general UK policy is assistance dogs only, and we found no Hampshire branch with a written override.
Is there dog-friendly accommodation in Basingstoke or Andover?
Not that we could verify. Both towns came back empty in our research, with any likely accommodation being chain-only and operating on an assistance-dogs-only basis.
Written by Georgiana & Figo, who has never met a pony he didn’t want to say hello to.
